Luxury automobile manufacturer Audi have announced the worldwide deployment of their online real-time 3D configurator, available in 25 markets by the end of the year. Created in partnership with automotive visualisation specialists ZeroLight, the experience delivers fully interactive exploration and configuration of all car models with a direct measured impact on customer experience and purchase intent.

The move comes due to the internet being the most influential channel in the car buying journey. Typically, customers would configure their car online using pre-defined 2D images. This traditional approach is limited in both interactivity and configuration options whilst having high production costs. The new Audi-ZeroLight experience provides customers with a fully interactive 3D model of their vehicle that they can configure and explore in real-time. This allows them to choose from any available option, so they can make an informed decision and realise their dream car. Audi can update digital vehicles via an automated process, reducing production costs and time to market.

An initial pilot of the real-time 3D configurator on Audi.de saw user engagement increase by 66% when compared to the traditional 2D solution along with increased satisfaction ratings across a range of qualitative KPI's. This also led to an average 9% increase in additional feature selection per vehicle, driving a significant uplift in the average online basket value. The same results were achieved when the pilot was further expanded to a new market in the Netherlands whilst also including a wider range of car models.

"The results reflect the fact that the real-time 3D user experience is a drastic improvement over typical 2D experiences. Quality has always been the biggest challenge when looking to implement 3D solutions in the past. With ZeroLight, we've been able to translate the exact same high-quality user experience we provide in our dealerships online, enabling us to provide our customers with a premium, secure and sustainable online experience." - Thomas Orenz, Global Lead Digital Content and Virtual Reality, Audi AG

The rollout begins in Europe and is expected to be completed by the end of October, with all markets live by the end of the year. The rollout will use a global server infrastructure provided by Amazon Web Services, of which ZeroLight is an ‘Advanced Partner.' Upon completion of the online rollout, the cloud powered Audi-ZeroLight experience will also be extended to specific dealership use cases, including 4k configurators and custom dealership sales solutions.

"ZeroLight was founded on the premise of creating the best possible car buying experience. Thanks to the vision of Audi's digital retail team and innovation spearheaded by our studio, Audi's vehicles have been brought to life, on any device, connected to the internet. We believe that this sets a new standard in interactive online experiences and fundamentally changes the customer journey for all Audi buyers moving forward." - Darren Jobling, CEO, ZeroLight

ZeroLight is the market leading omnichannel visualisation platform for the automotive industry. Pioneering real-time 3D solutions for retail, online and asset creation, ZeroLight empowers OEMs to sell smarter and engage customers with interactive product experiences which enhance the buying process. For more information about the company, go to zerolight.com